John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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While Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is on a roll--with a rave review from Consumer Reports and a profitable quarter--other startup automakers aren't faring so well.
And now another small car company that...
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Can Ford's C-Max And Fusion Hybrids Really Outsell Toyota?Ford's hybrid sales have been on a roll this year, with two new models for 2013 now in showrooms across the country. The company sold almost 30,000 Ford and Lincoln hybrids from January through April, just about triple the number in its best comparable previous period, which was 2011. That led some...
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Consumer Reports On Tesla Model S: Best Test Car Since 2007Wow. Chalk up another huge accolade for the Tesla Model S electric car: Consumer Reports has awarded it 99 out of 100 points, and said it's the best car the magazine has tested since 2007. In fact, the magazine's descriptions of the luxury sport sedan brim with adjectives. The Tesla Model S "is...
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UPDATED: Tesla Motors Q1 Earnings: What To Look For (Video)Within the next hour, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will release its first-quarter financial results. We already know the company will be profitable, and that it sold "more than 4,750" Model S electric luxury sport sedans from January through March. CEO Elon Musk has also said that Tesla is targeting a...
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2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Gas Mileage Drive ReportNew for 2013, the Toyota Avalon has been radically restyled to give Toyota's largest four-door sedan fresher, more aggressive lines. To our surprise, the big sedan turned heads in traffic, with a number of people turning to look at it--most likely to try to figure out what it was. But it's the gas...
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Natural Gas Vehicles: Technology Targets The ChallengesAs a vehicle fuel, natural gas holds considerable promise but faces a number of challenges. Overcoming those challenges is the goal of recent funding granted by the U.S. Department of Energy for a handful of research projects. Among them are the challenges of incorporating high-pressure natural gas...
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Not all plug-in electric cars rely on battery power alone; some also have gasoline engines as backups, for longer range or more power.
Last year, we identified six plug-in hybrid vehicles on sale...
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Tesla Makes Money On Model S: $35K Per Car Selling ZEV Credits?Tomorrow at 5 pm Eastern, Tesla will hold what may be its most eagerly awaited conference call to date. The Silicon Valley startup automaker will discuss its first-quarter financial results--which will give the first clue to its financial viability as an operating automaker. But Tesla Motors...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Price To Be Similar To BMW 3-Series?The production version of the BMW i3 electric car will be unveiled at September's Frankfurt Motor Show, and anticipation is building. How much BMW's first battery-electric car will cost is one of the biggest open questions. Now Ludwig Willisch, the CEO of the Bavarian maker's North American arm...
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Buick eAssist, Chevy Eco Hybrid Recall For Control Module CheckGeneral Motors announced today that it will recall more than 38,000 Buick and Chevrolet sedans fitted with its eAssist mild-hybrid system, to check for a possibly defective electronic component. The vehicles, from both the 2012 and 2013 model years, are the Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal sedans...
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2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC: Fuel Efficiency Drive ReportLaunched for 2009 and notably refreshed for the 2013 model year, the Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class luxury compact crossover has never been particularly green. But with the mid-year addition of a new diesel version, its fuel efficiency goes up by a third--which isn't bad for a pricey, heavy crossover. Two...
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2013 Tesla Model S 'Performance Plus' Package, Other Options, AddedThe 2013 Tesla Model S electric car wouldn't be defined as a supercar--which is, more or less by custom, a two-seat sports car, not a large sedan. But to take the luxury plug-in sedan "into supercar handling territory," Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced a new "Performance Plus" suspension and...
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We weren't big fans of the first Sonata Hybrid when Hyundai launched it for the 2011 model year.
But the 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has numerous updates and modifications that improve its...
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Reader Q: 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Vs Other HybridsWith two dozen hybrid models now on the market, and several mass-market plug-in hybrids as well, weighing costs and benefits can get a lot more complicated. Take, for instance, our reader Catherine Chan-Smith, who wrote to ask for advice: I've read your article on the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In...
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2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Sales Finally Tick Up On AvailabilityThere's a new hybrid in the mix these days--or at least a new version of one that's been on the market for a couple of years. The 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has now, finally, rolled out nationwide. It follows a troubled launch for the latest generation MKZ mid-size luxury sedan that even Lincoln...
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Tesla Hires New Engineering VP From Luxury Maker Aston MartinWhile CEO Elon Musk is doing another tweet-hyped conference call today, Tesla has a lot going on in the background. Not only is it building and selling Model S electric luxury sport sedans, but Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has quietly hired a new vice president of vehicle engineering. That new VP is...
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Next Chevy Volt $10,000 Cheaper To Build, Profitable For GM?Here and there, a few little tidbits about the next-generation Chevrolet Volt electric car are starting to leak out. The latest comes from GM CEO Dan Akerson, who told the audience at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference Tuesday that the next Volt would cost "$7,000 to $10,000" less than today's...
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What Are The Best Plug-In Electric Cars For Very Tall People?We recently got a question from reader John Meurer that we'd never considered: Which plug-in electric car is best for tall people? "I'm 6'2" & wear a 44 Long suit," Meurer wrote. "I need an electric car I can afford and I can fit comfortably in." So we reached out to High Gear Media colleague...
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The Chevrolet Spark, the smallest Chevy sold in the U.S., will get some mechanical changes next year, according to Christi Landy, the brand's small-car marketing director.
The 2014 Chevrolet Spark,...
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April Plug-In Electric Car Sales: Leaf And Volt Neck And NeckSales of plug-in electric cars in April continued at roughly the same pace as in March, with sales likely totaling about 7,500 cars. Last year's first- and third-place plug-ins, the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, are now pacing each other in sales. Their year-to-date totals are separated by less than...
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2013 Dodge Dart Limited: Gas-Mileage Drive ReportThe 2013 Dodge Dart has gotten off to a slow start in the market, but it's a vitally important car for Chrysler. The first vehicle based on shared underpinnings from its parent Fiat, the Dart has to show Chrysler can build competitive cars--and, even more important, top-quality small cars that...
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Free Electric-Car Charging Illegal On Municipal Property In NY StateYou might think that installing a charging station for plug-in electric cars shouldn't be that complicated. It's essentially an electric appliance. But in the city of Watertown, New York, City Attorney Robert J. Slye recently determined that installing charging stations in a municipal parking lot...
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2013 Ford Escape 2.0-Liter EcoBoost: Gas Mileage Drive ReportThe Ford Escape is one of the most popular compact crossovers on the market today, and its all-new 2013 model goes head-to-head with the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4. Both of those vehicles were redesigned in 2012 or 2013, so crossover competition is now fierce. We spent six days with a pale green...
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Greentech Auto's Electric Sedan: Haven't We Seen This Before?Suppose you took a Chinese-made compact sedan, converted it to a battery-electric vehicle, and sold it in the U.S. market. Does that story line sound familiar? If so, you may be thinking of Coda Automotive, the now-all-but-defunct maker of the 2012 Coda Sedan. Coda flashed into our minds on reading...
John Voelcker